A Senate committee has turned down a proposal to allow teachers and other school workers to carry concealed handguns to help guard against shootings.

Republican Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort of Sandia Park said her proposal would immediately provide additional protection in schools. The National Rifle Association supported the measure.

Opponents said more guns aren't the answer to the mass killings that have occurred such as at a Connecticut school in December.

The Education Committee voted 6-3 on Wednesday to shelve the legislation.

The proposal would have allowed up to three employees in a school to carry concealed weapons if they had a state license for the firearm. It would have been left to local schools to decide whether to permit their workers to carry a gun on campus.